The X Factor Plods On Despite Dwindling Viewing Figures

It’s Sunday night, ladies and gents, and as all us reality TV heads know, it’s the best night of the week! It’s X Factor results night! So just before I plonk myself in front of the TV and tuck into a Chinese, let me run you through all the shenanigans of week five so far.

Now well into its 15th series, X Factor, which has been going for two-thirds of my total existence, is still plodding on despite being one of the most controversial shows on tv with an ever-changing panel of judges.

And to be honest, it truly is a surprise the X Factor is still on our screens and will be till at least 2020, especially as last weekend the show struggled to draw in more than 3.7 million people. I know this may seem like a lot but is a massive loss compared to the 5.7 million viewers received when the new series aired on the 1st of September. Simon Cowell believes the 16-34 year old audience range is going to save the day, but I think his age is making him slightly deluded.

As I said the show is known for its controversy so it was a huge shock last week when the 4th double elimination of the series said goodbye to early X Factor favourites Misunderstood and recently formed boyband Five Vibe who were put together by our not-so-wonderful panel of judges.

This leaves us with just eight acts. Simon Cowell still has three girls in the show: Scarlett Lee, Bella Penfold and Shan Ako. Louis Tomlinson also still has three of his boys too: Anthony Russell, Dalton Harris and Brendan Murray. Ayda Field just has Danny Tetley, while Robbie has Acacia and Aaliyah who were saved for a second time in a row last week after falling into the bottom two AGAIN.

Anyway, let us run you through how it went down last night:

To open the show this week was last year’s Oompa Loompa hopeful and current second favourite Scarlett Lee who missed out on judge’s house last year after Simon failed to recognise her image over the awful tan and Amy Winehouse beehive – her makeup artist career clearly isn’t working, so why not take up singing, eh? After a recent family disaster, Scarlett has managed to pick herself up last night and performed a cover of can’t take my eyes off you by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

Louis’s Irish youngster Brendan Murray was next to the line up covering the song Say Something I’m Giving Up On You by a Great Big World and Christina Aguilera which reached number 4in the charts in 2014. The Popstar wannabe who performed for Ireland in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest hasn’t had a plain sail through the competition so far and found himself battling in the bottom two a few weeks ago

Shan Ako, our Whitney Houston double, managed to stay in time this week after falling behind on the speed of last week’s song. The hopeful covered Ella Fitzgerald’s classic Summertime which was also covered by previous winner Leona Lewis another of Simon’s acts.

The scouser Anthony Russell was next to take the stage after appearing in 2007 at 17. Eleven years ago Simon told him he needs to take singing lessons, so last year he came back with a black eye and unsurprisingly dropped out of the competition due to a drug problem, which funnily enough, was solved with the help of his current mentor Louis. Last night he decided to cover the contemporary pop romantic love song Beyond The Sea by Jack Lawrence, the very same song he sang back in the 2007 audition. Hopefully this time it’ll work out better for him as it’s now down to the public vote and not Simon Cowell.

Acacia and Aaliyah, or A Star as they’re also known, were next to take the stage – another group who were put together and the two youngest girls in the competition at age 14 and 15. They sang an original song in a desperate hope to pull votes out the bag. Although the judges seemed to love it, in my opinion, it couldn’t have been any worse, but they’ve almost been left to their own devices as new mentor Robbie Williams has missed the last two weekends due to touring and is being covered by Nile Rodgers. Although Mr Rodgers is a legend I am left questioning if Robbie’s category is struggling due to his lack of appearance this series. Talk about a lack of commitment.

Bella was Simon’s last act this week and while he’s the only original remaining judge he is carrying a slightly smug smile as he has three acts still left, but after Bella’s cover of London Grammar’s Strong, and frosty comments from a couple of the panel, his three is in grave danger of being reduced to two in the elimination this week. Maybe we should cut them some slack though as Simon has had a tough week after a split from the world’s most successful girl group Little Mix due to an apparent fallout. Little Mix won back in 2011 and our finalists can only hope they’ll take after the girls rather than falling down the pan like recent winners Rak-su and Ben Haenow.

Previous One Direction star and another new mentor Louis Tomlinson is fortunately one of the few acts X Factor acts who has still managed to maintain a career even after the split of his former band. His last act this week was none other than Jamaican singer and current favourite Dalton Harris. This comes as no surprise as he receives a huge standing ovation week in week out from all four judges – so much so the judges struggle to give feedback over the noise. This week he performed a cover of Listen, a Beyonce song from the well-known film Dreamgirls.

I wish I could say we saved the best until last, but closing the show this week was the Benidorm karaoke singer Danny Tetley, who should 100% stick to the karaoke machine. Performing My Way by Frank Sinatra, Danny has everything crossed that he’ll pick up enough votes to secure his position into next week not only for himself but also for our third and final new judge Ayda. You’re probably asking who she is and I was asking myself the same question at the start of the series – it seems our American loudmouth has only become somewhat famous since marrying Angel’s singer Robbie Williams in 2010.

It’ll be a tough call in tonight’s elimination, when Cheryl will also return to the stage to perform her new song about all of her relationships disasters that no one cares about, and the talented Tom Walker will also be performing to put her to shame.

Author: Jaye Bonser

A lover of all things social this Nottingham girl has a heart full of football, and when she isn't playing in her own team you'll finding her supporting the Nottingham Forest Boys. Along with football she's usually jetting off all around the world in an aim to complete 30 countries before 30.

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